


Softy

by MusicLover6661



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, soft Billy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-04
Updated: 2018-02-04
Packaged: 2019-03-13 15:43:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,435
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13573710
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MusicLover6661/pseuds/MusicLover6661





	Softy

I watched Steve walk around his car to open the door for Nancy, it was hard watching them be so happy and loving with each other. I of course would never show them that to their face, they were still my friends after all. I'd just have to keep my jealously buried deep down inside, somewhere locked up where it wouldn't bother me for a while. They waved over at where I was sitting on the porch steps and headed inside to the party. Nancy was glancing around nervously, as if she was expecting someone to show up to the party. I shook my head slowly and stood up, that was too silly. Then again, with the town of Hawkins, there were too many possibilities of something going wrong. I could only think about Mike, and Dustin, and everyone else waiting around for things to go back to normal. Joyce had been worried that Will was acting strange, he wasn't eating much as of late. And he was having visions, or nightmares. Joyce didn't like to go into detail about those too often, though I don't blame her. Everyone assured me the party would be a good distraction, something to get my mind off of demogorgons, and the horrors our town was hiding.

“Hey, you coming inside?” Jonathan Byers was standing in front of me, his hands wedged deeply in his pockets. He wasn't dressed up for the Halloween party that was currently raging behind me.  
“Oh, maybe in a few minutes, I needed to clear my head” I smiled softly at him, he knew how much I liked being outside at night.   
“I'll see you inside then” Jonathan nodded and headed into the house, the smell of beer and sweat wafting outside as I leant back against the cold steps.

There were people chanting towards the back of the house, probably playing some sort of game and cheering on whomever was winning. I wasn't entirely sure why I had come, I wasn't too much of a fan of Tina's parties. They always became too crazy too quickly. The last one I had gone too almost got shut down by the police. Hopper had found me walking down the street and gave me a lift back home after Steve magically forgot that I was there. In turn I hadn't spoken to him for the rest of the week after that, I was pissed. How do you forget someone that you went to a party with? Especially when you were staying at said person's house.

“Y'know, it's supposed to get a lot colder later on” I looked up at the sudden voice and grimaced, Billy was standing in front of me. His leather jacket covering his bare torso.  
“I have a jacket in my friend's car, if I need to I'll grab it” I waved my hand at him dismissively, Billy and I weren't friends, or even acquaintances. We just happened to have the same english and science class together was all.  
“Come on inside and have a drink with me” He held his hand out, his expression was blank. I raised an eyebrow and took his hand. What was the harm of having one drink? I'd still be able to function at least.

He walked inside the house, avoiding people dancing and making out against the walls and headed to where the beers were sitting inside what looked to be a large blue tub. A bowl of punch sitting on top of the counter. I knew last time that the punch was a bad idea if you hadn't eaten earlier, it was always spiked beyond belief. I took a small cup of punch and sipped it slowly, the taste of alcohol was masked with the sickly sweet juice. If I had been planning on getting drunk I would've drank more, but with Billy around I was wary.

“Who'd you come with anyway?” He had finished what looked to be his fourth beer in a matter of fifteen minutes. Jeez.  
“Oh, I came with my friend Alisha, I think she's off somewhere with her boyfriend though” I shook my head and chuckled, she couldn't stand to be without him.  
“Well I can keep you company if you want” His signature smirk was prominent on his lips, I had to fight the urge to roll my eyes at him. Everyone knew of the reputation he upheld, and I wasn't dumb enough to fall into his tricks.  
“The offer sounds tempting, but I think I'll pass this time around” I finished my cup of punch and headed back out to the porch outside. It was completely empty for once.

I was sure Billy thought I was a prude, I wasn't caught under his spell when he had first moved here. I was sure deep down he was a decent person, he just had a shitty attitude and I wanted nothing to do with it. I preferred people who liked to actually get to know someone before trying to shove their tongue down the person's throat. I had seen him flirt with more girls than I could even keep count of at this point. And sure, I had my fair share of boyfriends in the past. They never stayed around once they found out I didn't like to put out after the first date. Which is why I never gave Billy Hargrove a second glance. He would woo a girl, sleep with her, and then move onto his next conquest. I wanted something more while he wanted nothing serious at all.

I looked up towards the sky and smiled softly at the stars, they weren't as bright as I was hoping to see. But with the party going on behind me, I could only see as much as I could in the moment. If I wanted to really see them I'd have to drive up the mountains, and at this point no one was sober enough to do so. I'd save up for my own car, and drive up whenever I had the chance too, and just ignore everything and everyone in town for a few hours.

“Do you plan on getting sick or something?” Billy's voice was soft, if he had been any farther away I wouldn't of heard him over the party.  
“It's not that cold Billy, I'll be just fine” I turned to look at him over my shoulder and chuckled, he had raised and eyebrow, a cigarette held between his lips.  
“It's gonna get cold, and then you'll be complaining all week and saying I was right” Billy took the cigarette out of his mouth, smoke blowing away with the wind.  
“Like I said, I have a jacket if it does end up getting cold” I glanced back towards the sky, a shooting star casting a quick light.   
“What's so fascinating about the stars?” Billy walked over and plopped down next to where I was sitting, his eyes trying to find answers in the sky above.  
“They're calm, I can look at them at night and just feel at peace for a few minutes” I wrung my hands together and sighed. I wasn't even sure why I was still sitting next to him.  
“Hmm” He mumbled softly under his breath, I wanted to ask him to repeat himself but I stopped.

There was a comfortable silence between us, no need for any words or conversation. He was still smoking, his eyes were cast more down though. They weren't focused on the stars, or the sky anymore but on the grass. I reached a hand out and gently placed it against his shoulder, he jumped slightly and looked over at where I was. His eyes were full of panic for a second or two, I pulled my hand away quickly and held it in my lap instead. I hadn't meant to startle him, I just wanted to make sure he was alright.

“Hey Y/N if you need a ride home-” Steve's words were cut off the moment he saw Billy, his expression changing to one of anger. Him and Billy had never gotten along, always bickering with each other in the hallways.  
“No, I think Alisha's still inside, I should be okay. Thanks though” I turned to face him, I wanted to assure him nothing was going on between Billy and I. His expression didn't falter in the slightest. Billy's eyes were hard as he stared back at Steve.  
“I guess I'll see you tomorrow then, we still hanging out?” He looked hopeful at this, I finally noticed that Nancy was nowhere near him. Maybe she was still inside.  
“Yeah, I'll text you in the morning” Steve nodded his head and walked back inside to the party.  
“Possessive isn't he?” Billy's voice caught me off guard, what in the world was he talking about?  
“Billy, he's my friend” I said blankly, he just didn't like Billy was all. Didn't mean Steve was possessive of me.  
“He clearly doesn't want you hanging around me, thus making him possessive” Billy said it, as if it was a matter of fact.  
“That's because you have a shitty reputation Hargrove” I shook my head and sighed.

He was quiet for a moment, his expression changing from anger to sadness. I couldn't help but stare trying to figure out what his problem was.

“They're not true, I don't go out sleeping with everything that walks. I think the girls just want to stir up gossip about me” He glanced between the sky and where I was. His eyes never staying in spot for more than a second.  
“Then why let everyone spread rumors if they aren't true?” I asked confused, it seemed like he got off knowing girls were swooning over him constantly.  
“I'm the new guy, even if I wanted to clear the rumors more would start, I can't win Y/N” He stood up and pulled out another cigarette from the pack, lighting it quickly.  
“You're not wrong” I mumbled, I had been the new person once and it was hard trying to disprove rumors when you had no proof that they weren't true.  
“It's why you don't like me, isn't it?” It felt more like a statement than a question. I was afraid to answer him.  
“I'm not into the whole hookup culture, and with all the rumors I just assumed things wouldn't be good” I felt bad after knowing the truth, he was actually a decent guy who got caught in the middle of everyone else's shit.  
“That's my life now” He threw the cigarette and blew out the smoke, his eyes sparkled in the moonlight.  
“It doesn't have to be” I stood up slowly and faced him, he'd just have to make a few adjustments if he wanted people to see him in a better light.

He furrowed his brows, I could tell that he was trying to find the words. Hell I didn't even know what I was going to tell him. 'Oh you need to stop getting into fights and try being a decent member of society'. Yeah, that wasn't going to fly with him.

“You need to just do whatever makes you happy, fuck what everyone else says about you. They aren't going to matter when you're older and doing what you want to in life” It was true, he had always said he planned on moving back to Cali after we graduated. And with that lingering over our heads, it was nerve wracking.  
“I feel like I have a reputation to uphold, and if I change now everyone's going to think I'm a pussy” I narrowed my eyes at him, he was giving into what he needed to stop.  
“If people think you're a pussy because you stop getting into fights, and getting blackout drunk at every party, then they're more of an asshole than you are” I almost regretted the words, he knew that most people saw him as an asshole, but when they were trying to help him. It wasn't going to help my case in the slightest.  
“I can try” His words shocked me, I was half expecting him to storm off after calling me a stupid bitch or something. But he was willing to try and do what he wanted to do.  
“Good, I can't wait to see a happier you Hargrove” I smiled at him and headed back inside, leaving him stunned on the back porch.

 

~~~~ 

8 Months Later

To say Billy was a completely different person would be an understatement. He hadn't gotten into any fights, he cut back on his smoking tremendously. And he hadn't looked at any girls who looked his way, he wanted to get rid of any rumors of him being a manwhore, or some other stupid shit. He had apologized to Steve and Lucas over something I wasn't aware of. He had panicked the entire drive to the Byers's house, saying they were going to laugh in his face. Steve was apprehensive at first, he was expecting Billy to lunge at him and attack him again. But when he saw Billy's expression he softened and accepted the apology. Lucas wasn't as ready to forgive him, not until to apologized to Max for the months of torture he had forced her to endure.

I think she was just happy I was there to push him to apologize, it hadn't seemed forced whatsoever. He had admitted that he was more angry with his father for replacing his mother so quickly, but after realizing he was being an asshole, he knew it wasn't Max's fault in the first place. She wrapped her arms around him and hugged him tightly, tears streaming down her cheeks. I wiped my own before Billy could notice. After Max was back in her seat, Lucas stood up and told Billy that if he pulled any of the shit he had before he'd send me after him. Billy nodded his head and took that as a sign not to mess around.

“I gotta say Billy, they took it way better than I expected” I laced my fingers with his as we leaned against his car.  
“That's because you were there, if I had gone in by myself they would've slaughtered me” Billy wrapped his arms around my waist slowly and smiled.  
“Well now that everything's squared away, how about we go and get something to eat?” I raised my eyebrow and kissed his cheek.  
“Sounds good to me babe” His cheeks turned a light pink.

Who knew that deep down inside, big bad Billy Hargrove was a huge softy?


End file.
